Racing Roundup

The 2009 Motorsports season officially kicked off last weekend in Atlantic City as Motorsports 2009 brought fans into the Convention Center to get a look at what's new for 2009.

Race cars and exhibits filled the center as thousands of fans made their way through the show during the weekend.

Alyssa Sharman won the Ms. Motorsports pageant, while just down the road at Boardwalk Hall, Billy Pauch and Ted Christopher were winners of the Gamblers Classic races.

Coming up in two weeks will be the annual Dirt Trackin show at the York Fairgrounds that will feature many cars that will race locally in 2009. Other big events planned during that show will be an auction to benefit the John Westbrook Recovery Fund. Westbrook is home and undergoing extensive therapy after suffering a spinal cord injury last season at Williams Grove Speedway.

Port Royal Speedway honored its champions and top drivers at its recent banquet. Todd Shaffer and car owners Gary and Patty Beam were the 2008 410 Sprint car champions. Greg Hodnett won the Sportsmanship award and Westbrook won the Rookie of the Year award.

The list of inductees for the 2009 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame is out and on the list is Pennsylvania's Fred Rahmer, who made the HoF in his very first year of eligibility. Rahmer will be joined in the 2009 class by fellow Sprint car driver Jac Haudenschild, chassis builder Jack Elam as well as Jackie Holmes, Lee Osborne, Cavino Petillo, Roger Rager, Rip Williams, Lee Elkins, Louis Senter, Allan Brown, Jim Chini and Tommy Nicholson.

World of Outlaw Late Model racer Tim McCreadie was seriously injured during a crash at the Chili Bowl last week. Mc- Creadie suffered a fractured T-3 vertebra and has floating bone fragments in his back after a wild flip. McCreadie has no medical insurance so a fund has been set up for him for donations. Anyone wishing to help out may do so at Tim McCreadie Support Fund, c/o USAC, 4910 West 16th Street, Speedway, IN 46224. There is also a link on his Web site at www.timmccreadie.com.

That's a wrap for this week as e-mail always reaches me at Bvores@aol.com.